Age of Empires Online

Interested in knowing a little more about our Summer Update coming in the next 3 to 4 weeks and how it might affect your gameplay? Read on!

Looking for a little Vanity to spruce up your empire? We can do that. Here is a sneak peek at some of the things we have in store for you when our Summer Update releases in 3 to 4 weeks.

Picking your Alliance can be a difficult choice! Each Alliance has unique passive bonuses, leaders, and gear that will affect the way you play. Ultimately, you’ll want to pick the Alliance that will most benefit your play style.

Before you choose your Alliance, you can visit each region and see what they have to offer. Additionally, you can preview the Alliance’s passive bonuses in the Alliance overview screen. If you’re still unsure, ask around. In the end, which Alliance is best? The one used to crush your enemies and see them driven before you!

Here are some additional details on each Alliance:

Ever since the launch of Age of Empires Online, we’ve wanted to make some major changes to the way the technology tree works. Today, we’re announcing a complete rethink of how it impacts the game, and the result is a full review and redesign of each civilization’s tree.

We know many of you have unanswered questions when it comes to our upcoming “Alliance Wars” feature due out with our Summer Update. To help clear things up for you we have put together an FAQ. We hope this will help answer some of the questions you may have.

Thank you all for taking the time to post your questions and concerns in our very first “Ask a Dev” thread. We have gathered our forces, investigated your inquiries and put together a list of responses.

“In the name of Transparency” we bring you the information you seek:

After a short delay and a lot of testing, we are very glad to bring you the Balance Patch!

Overview

The Alliance Wars are a brand new, team-based competition for level 40 players. It revolves around three Alliances: The Delian League, The Council of Imhotep, and The Legion of Carthage. Each Alliance is fighting for dominance, and only one can come out on top! Choose your Alliance wisely - the benefits of each are unique.

Welcome to our very first installment of “Ask a Dev!”

How it works: We have started a forum thread for our players to post the questions they would like to see answered by our design/dev team.

Ave, all! 

When the Summer Update launches (no set date, but 5-7 weeks from now), the way you purchase content will change. Age of Empires Online will truly become free to play if you choose. How will this work?

After the Summer Update, we will no longer accept real money for civilizations, booster packs, vanity items, or anything else in the store. All content for AOEO will be purchased with Empire Points, and Empire Points will be earned as you play. Therefore, if you spend sufficient time playing the game, you will eventually be able to unlock all the content in the game. If you don’t have extra time, and would like to buy the content immediately, we will sell Empire Points to you, which you can spend on anything you like.

In summary, each player will choose whether to spend time, money, or a combination of both for content they desire in AOEO.

Hello and welcome to the inaugural edition of the Community Spotlight. I know what you’re asking yourself – what in the world is that?

Every so often, we the Community Team will pluck a random member of the community who we feel would be interesting to learn more about. This is the nice way of saying interrogated… err, interviewed. You all have an amazing story, and we’d love to be able to spotlight that.

We will dive in to your psyche, finding out what makes you tick. Picking your brain for all the goodies that we’d normally never think to ask about.

Ave, all!

Thank you all for helping us with a very successful Steam launch. As we had hoped, we attracted many new players to Age of Empires Online; and, as we had asked, you the community have welcomed them with open arms. We have been in the Top 20 games played on Steam since that launch.

Communication between the development team and the community has suffered, though. We were unable to discuss the Steam deal until it went live; that was a business deal between Microsoft and Valve, and we could not share the details with you ahead of time. Now that the deal is done, we have nothing else that we need to hide.

Game balance can be a delicate, subtle art, one that often takes several tweaks and adjustments to get just right... our next patch is just that.

Here are the balance changes that will be implemented in the next 2 – 3 weeks:

Peltast

• Decreased damage to 8 from 10
• Increased bonus damage vs. Ranged to +200% from +150%

As many of you are aware we have been posting updates onto our blog every Friday leading up to our most recent patch. While we plan on continuing to release information and content weekly on our blog, Fridays will no longer be the day this happens. We will be posting to our blog earlier in the week when our website traffic is at a peak. (I am sure this peak has nothing to do with people reading the site while at work or school. *cough* ;) )

Hello from the Play Balance Team and welcome to the very first “Play Balance Team Tip”! We hope to produce support for the community in the form of simple text and video guides that explain how to efficiently manage villagers, how to create and micro strong army compositions, and how to think about and play different PvP match-ups.

While we have faith that the strongest players will discover and use strong strategies, we hope to ensure that newer or more casual players have easy access to important fundamental strategies and ideas, too!

For our first Play Balance team tip, we present what we like to call “the lumber trick.”

With the release of the Celts now behind us, we are able to discuss what’s next for Age of Empires Online. As you know AoEO draws its inspiration from various chapters in the history of mankind. From the Greeks to the Celts we have enjoyed bringing you each civilization with their unique features, tools and culture. So where do we go from here? What comes after the Celts? Sometimes the best way to go forward is to go back.

Starting out in any online game can feel a little intimidating at first. Knowing the basics and having a little direction can really help get you started. Earlier this month we posed a question in our forums to our Age of Empires Online Community to help our newer players get started:

“If you were to give your top 3 tips for new players, what would they be?”

Now Available: Premium Celt Civilization

Take charge with the Celtic infantry! Spirited Celtic warriors paint themselves before battle and arm themselves with metalworking and crafting skills. Command the fleet-footed Woad Raiders and the high-health Champions, and revitalize your siegeless warriors using healing units: the fierce-fighting Druids and the buff-casting Augurs. Unlock Rare and Epic gear, Advisors, and Ranked PvP; increase your Capital City warehouse storage; and add more Workshops.

• 80 unique quests, including multi-stage missions.
• Infantry-focused military, minimal siege units.
• New! Woad Raider and Champion units, mystical Druid and Augur healing units.
• Celt Exclusives! Build Gold Mines and use the Metalworking crafting skill.

Ave, all!

I have a major announcement and, with it, a request for the community.

The major announcement is, of course, the title of this post. Very soon, Age of Empires Online will be available on Steam as well as Games for Windows LIVE . There will be promotions and marketing associated with that launch; this means that a lot of new players will become aware of the game and will be able to join you in playing it.

AOEO remains free to play. Players who join us from Steam will have the option of using their Steam Wallet to purchase our content, such as Civilizations and Boosters, just as LIVE players use Microsoft Points.

The Celtic civilization began development shortly after Gas Powered Games was given the reins to Age of Empires Online. Many players, us included, enjoy the variety and challenge that a well-crafted campaign provides. A strong campaign is fun and memorable, and that is exactly what we strove for when we began work on the Celt campaign. Developing a campaign for Age of Empires, particularly for Age of Empires Online, poses an interesting set of challenges.

While we were getting started on the project we had ample time to learn the tools that were provided, dig into the mechanics and flow of the other campaigns, and research Celtic history.

There is nothing in front of me but a blank slate, empty and white, mocking me as I try to determine a way to introduce this week’s update to you all. I have been reduced from an effervescent array of descriptive delight to a mere Neanderthal, staring at the screen in amazement that smashing button make funny picture on screen. Twinkle like picture. Picture look pretty…

This is madness I tell you.

I guess it’s somewhat fitting that it’s March. March and madness seem to go hand-in-hand for some people, myself included. It’s the time of year where the unthinkable almost always happens, and the crazy and irrational is commonplace. For instance, it has been snowing in Seattle for the last week. That’s right, snow, in March, in Seattle.

Ah, here we are - another week to wrap up, another Friday upon us yet again. Before we dive into the juicy details of this week’s update, let’s go back in time. Imagine yourself in a cold, dark room, with eyes peering at you from every direction, piercing your soul as you’re delivered the news – “…and that leaves the Bugchilada for you.” To some, the monumental task of tackling such an endeavor would seem nearly impossible since this one particular subject is probably the most sought-after piece of information to be delivered since the release date for the Celts. What’s that? Oh, right - soon. To me, however, being tasked with such an assignment was an extraordinary opportunity that I would not shy away from or let scare me into submission.

After wiping away my tears, (of joy – really), I decided to contemplate the idea of the Bugchilada over lunch. How would I deliver what seemed to be a never-ending load of information to you all? I continued to sift through my thoughts as I entered the nearest restaurant, and ordered my food. Something about the Muy Grandé Burrito piqued my interests. In no way am I a small person, so ordering something that’s simply called “Very Big Burrito” seemed like a no-brainer.

This week we’re incredibly excited to finally reveal our plans for our Season Pass holders. For months everyone has heard that we’ll be taking care of our Season Pass subscribers, but we haven’t been able to go into detail. Enough of that! Soon is now here and it’s time to finally divulge our plans!

We’re very pleased to announce that we will be extending the Season Pass offer to a total of 2 years from August 16th 2011. This means everyone who purchased a Season Pass when the offer was available, will receive ALL the Civilization and Booster releases for Age of Empires Online through August 15th 2013 at no additional cost. This is our way of showing our appreciation to those users who went out on a limb when we launched and purchased the Season Pass.

The next update for Age of Empires Online includes continued tweaking of the matchmaking experience and party systems. The end result should be an improved multiplayer experience for both PvPers and PvEers.

First up, the update will finally allow Party matchmaking in Sparta PvP. You will now be able to start matches with another player in your party for both Standard and Champion modes of PvP. You’ll be matched with other fellow 2v2ers or random 2 player parties. Each player will also post to the leaderboards in Champion mode; currently there is no “team” entry. The Party 2v2 feature also allows Free players to experience Champion PvP and post to the leaderboards providing they’ve been invited to a party by a Premium player.

The fully configurable Skirmish Booster Pack allows you to choose every element of PvE gameplay, from resources, teams, and victory conditions to opponent civilizations, difficulty, and strategy.

• All units are automatically unlocked and battle-ready.
• It supports 2-player co-op against up to 4 computer-controlled enemies.
• You can also do battle on more than 20 different maps.

Hi everyone, we wanted to update you on Persia one more time!

Our goal when we started Persians many months ago was to give experienced players access to higher level content, and allow advanced players to jump right into the thick of things, including exploring Argos, gathering higher level gear, conquering Crete, getting to Cyprus quicker, among other things.

• Persia starts immediately at level 20 with access to the entire tech tree, and pre-equipped with gear for all units.
• This is special Gear that cannot be traded; it gives players a good starting suite of Gear right out of the gate.

We are putting final touches on this new Pro Civ, and we are really happy with the results. GPG did a great job for this new civ.

• You go straight to the action by starting at level 20
• By purchasing the Pro Civ, you have immediate access to top leveling gear, Advisors, and quests. People looking to hit PvP at a higher level sooner will also really like this type of civ
• This civ acts as a great addition and complement your current Greek and Egyptian civilizations. By owning more than 1 civ, you will also receive an extra unit, the Golden Hippikon.

The art is gorgeous, and we love the Immortal units and the Cataphracts/armored cavalry. You will soon be able to check out the free demo and judge for yourselves.

Keep in mind, the Persians have all custom units, a new tech tree, and all unique architecture, so they require a very different approach to play. We’ve also been playtesting them hard against Egyptians and Greeks in PvP.

What’s with the stores in my Capital City? Why do I care about the stores in my city? Stores are actually pretty important in Age of Empires Online. Stores help you grow your city, as well as sell craft goods and gear for your units to help you excel in battle. You can also find really cool, rare stores. And there’s also a way to make your stores work for you!

When you first log in, you’ll notice your city comes with two stores, the Empire Bazaar and the General Store. The Empire Bazaar is where you’ll be able to purchase premium content in the future (such as Empire Extras and Boosters.) The General Store is a store you’ll find yourself visiting quite often, or at least I do! Not only does it offer building goods, it also offers warehouses and the Construction Store – yes, a store offers a store!

It’s been a couple weeks in the trenches, and I thought we’d surface for air and give you a glimpse into our balancing process.

Players and developers alike, we all have (often passionate) ideas about what this game needs and doesn't need. Hell, we don’t always agree on the MGS team! What’s good to remember is this: This is the biggest Age game ever, and it’s really complex. Balance is a huge concern for us. We want to make the game fun and challenging but make sure you can’t just buy your way to the top. That’s what our balance team helps with. So today we’re going to introduce you to a few members of the balance team here at MGS: Tom, Rick, and David (the balance team lead).

As many of you have already heard, Gas Powered Games is now lead developer of Age of Empires Online. We figured you might have some questions about what this all means so I wanted to share a few thoughts on behalf of myself and the rest of the Age of Empires Online development team.

First and foremost, we’re thrilled! We have no doubt this is a great move for the game, and most importantly for all of you anxiously awaiting its launch this year. We’ve been working with Gas Powered Games for some time now on a collection of great new content packs (which we’ll reveal a bit later). In that time, it’s become really clear Chris Taylor and his team share our passion to make this one of the best games in Age of Empires franchise history. Rest assured, there’s a dedicated team of folks both at Microsoft and GPG who will continue to work hard to make sure this game blows you away. Anyway, with big news, you probably have some questions. We’ve tried to answer a few for you below.

Hi, everybody. Welcome to our new blog for Age of Empires Online ... long time coming, I know. I am Ian Vogel, the design lead at Microsoft Game Studios, and I am happy to write this first of many blogs for Age of Empires Online.

We’ve been holding off telling you a lot until we released the info about our business model, and we’ve released it! We recently had a great press event in San Francisco, and now the floodgates are open. We revealed to the world that Age of Empires Online is a free-to-play game, and we are giving you a full Age of Empires experience for free.

So what’s the #1 thing? I want to go over our business model so it’s really clear for you all. Trust me, it’s cool, and I think you all will be happy with it.